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NestJS Enterprise Backend APIs · Lesson

CRUD Operations with TypeORM

Develop complete Create, Read, Update, and Delete functionalities for your entities using TypeORM repositories.

CRUD Operations with TypeORM is a free NestJS Enterprise Backend APIs lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 2 of 3. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the NestJS Enterprise Backend APIs learning path, one of 3 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

CRUD Basics with TypeORM

Welcome! In this lesson, we'll master CRUD operations using TypeORM, a powerful Object-Relational Mapper for TypeScript.

CRUD stands for Create, Read, Update, and Delete. These are the four fundamental operations for managing data in almost any application.

TypeORM simplifies interacting with your database by mapping database rows to TypeScript objects, making these operations intuitive.

Defining Our Product Entity

Before performing CRUD, we need an entity. An entity is a class that maps directly to a database table. Let's imagine a simple Product entity for our examples.

In TypeORM, you'd use decorators like @Entity(), @PrimaryGeneratedColumn(), and @Column() to define its structure and how it maps to your database schema.

Understanding the Repository

TypeORM uses the repository pattern. A repository is like a specialized collection that handles data access for a specific entity (e.g., a ProductRepository for Product entities).

You inject this repository into your services and use its methods to perform CRUD operations. It abstracts away the complex database queries.

Create: Adding New Products

To add new data to your database, you primarily use the .save() method of your repository. It intelligently handles both new insertions and updates to existing entities.

Here's a simplified example of creating a new product:

class Product {
  id: number;
  name: string;
  price: number;
  constructor(name: string, price: number, id: number = 0) {
    this.id = id;
    this.name = name;
    this.price = price;
  }
}

class MockProductRepository {
  private products: Product[] = [];
  private nextId = 1;

  async save(product: Product): Promise<Product> {
    if (product.id === 0) { // Simulate new product
      product.id = this.nextId++;
      this.products.push(product);
    } else { // Simulate update
      const index = this.products.findIndex(p => p.id === product.id);
      if (index > -1) { this.products[index] = product; }
    }
    return product;
  }

  async find(): Promise<Product[]> {
    return this.products;
  }
}

async function main() {
  const repo = new MockProductRepository();
  console.log("--- Creating a Product ---");
  const newProduct = await repo.save(new Product("Keyboard", 75));
  console.log("Created:", newProduct);

  console.log("\n--- Current Products ---");
  const allProducts = await repo.find();
  console.log(allProducts);
}

main();

Read: Fetching Products

Reading data is fundamental. TypeORM repositories offer several methods to retrieve entities:

  • .find(): Retrieves all entities matching given criteria.
  • .findOneBy(): Retrieves a single entity by a simple condition (e.g., by ID).
  • .findBy(): Retrieves multiple entities by simple conditions.

Let's see how to find products:

class Product {
  id: number;
  name: string;
  price: number;
  constructor(name: string, price: number, id: number = 0) {
    this.id = id;
    this.name = name;
    this.price = price;
  }
}

class MockProductRepository {
  private products: Product[] = [];
  private nextId = 1;

  async save(product: Product): Promise<Product> {
    if (product.id === 0) { product.id = this.nextId++; this.products.push(product); }
    else { const index = this.products.findIndex(p => p.id === product.id);
      if (index > -1) { this.products[index] = product; } }
    return product;
  }

  async find(): Promise<Product[]> { return this.products; }
  async findOneBy(criteria: Partial<Product>): Promise<Product | undefined> {
    return this.products.find(p =>
      Object.keys(criteria).every(key => p[key as keyof Product] === criteria[key as keyof Product])
    );
  }
}

async function main() {
  const repo = new MockProductRepository();
  const product1 = await repo.save(new Product("Mouse", 25));
  const product2 = await repo.save(new Product("Monitor", 300));

  console.log("--- Finding All Products ---");
  let allProducts = await repo.find();
  console.log("All:", allProducts);

  console.log("\n--- Finding One Product by ID ---");
  const foundProduct = await repo.findOneBy({ id: product1.id });
  console.log("Found by ID:", foundProduct);

  console.log("\n--- Finding One Product by Name ---");
  const namedProduct = await repo.findOneBy({ name: "Monitor" });
  console.log("Found by Name:", namedProduct);
}

main();

Update: Modifying Product Details

To modify existing data, you have two primary approaches:

  • Fetch, Modify, Save: Retrieve an entity, update its properties, then call .save() on the modified entity.
  • Direct Update: Use .update(criteria, partialEntity) to update specific columns for entities matching certain criteria without loading them into memory first. This is more efficient for mass updates.
class Product {
  id: number;
  name: string;
  price: number;
  constructor(name: string, price: number, id: number = 0) {
    this.id = id;
    this.name = name;
    this.price = price;
  }
}

class MockProductRepository {
  private products: Product[] = [];
  private nextId = 1;

  async save(product: Product): Promise<Product> {
    if (product.id === 0) { product.id = this.nextId++; this.products.push(product); }
    else { const index = this.products.findIndex(p => p.id === product.id);
      if (index > -1) { this.products[index] = product; } }
    return product;
  }

  async findOneBy(criteria: Partial<Product>): Promise<Product | undefined> {
    return this.products.find(p =>
      Object.keys(criteria).every(key => p[key as keyof Product] === criteria[key as keyof Product])
    );
  }
  
  async update(id: number, partialEntity: Partial<Product>): Promise<void> {
    const index = this.products.findIndex(p => p.id === id);
    if (index > -1) {
      this.products[index] = { ...this.products[index], ...partialEntity };
    }
  }
}

async function main() {
  const repo = new MockProductRepository();
  const product = await repo.save(new Product("Headphones", 150));
  console.log("Initial product:", product);

  console.log("\n--- Updating Product Price ---");
  let fetchedProduct = await repo.findOneBy({ id: product.id });
  if (fetchedProduct) {
    fetchedProduct.price = 140; 
    await repo.save(fetchedProduct);
  }
  console.log("Updated via save:", await repo.findOneBy({ id: product.id }));

  const product2 = await repo.save(new Product("Webcam", 80));
  console.log("Initial product 2:", product2);
  await repo.update(product2.id, { price: 70, name: "HD Webcam" });
  console.log("Updated via update:", await repo.findOneBy({ id: product2.id }));
}

main();

Delete: Removing Products

To remove entities from the database, TypeORM provides .delete() and .remove():

  • .delete(criteria): Removes entities by ID or specific conditions. It's efficient as it doesn't load entities into memory first.
  • .remove(entityOrEntities): Removes entities that are already loaded into memory (i.e., you have the full entity object).

Let's remove a product from our mock database:

class Product {
  id: number;
  name: string;
  price: number;
  constructor(name: string, price: number, id: number = 0) {
    this.id = id;
    this.name = name;
    this.price = price;
  }
}

class MockProductRepository {
  private products: Product[] = [];
  private nextId = 1;

  async save(product: Product): Promise<Product> {
    if (product.id === 0) { product.id = this.nextId++; this.products.push(product); }
    else { const index = this.products.findIndex(p => p.id === product.id);
      if (index > -1) { this.products[index] = product; } }
    return product;
  }

  async find(): Promise<Product[]> { return this.products; }

  async delete(id: number): Promise<void> {
    this.products = this.products.filter(p => p.id !== id);
  }
  
  async remove(product: Product): Promise<Product> {
    this.products = this.products.filter(p => p.id !== product.id);
    return product; 
  }
}

async function main() {
  const repo = new MockProductRepository();
  const productA = await repo.save(new Product("Pen", 2));
  const productB = await repo.save(new Product("Notebook", 5));
  console.log("Initial products:", await repo.find());

  console.log("\n--- Deleting Product A by ID ---");
  await repo.delete(productA.id);
  console.log("Products after delete:", await repo.find());

  console.log("\n--- Removing Product B (by entity) ---");
  await repo.remove(productB);
  console.log("Products after remove:", await repo.find());
}

main();

CRUD in a NestJS Service

In a real NestJS application, you'd integrate these repository methods within a service. The service would then expose higher-level methods that perform specific business logic, calling the underlying repository methods.

This keeps your controllers clean, focusing only on handling HTTP requests and delegating data operations to the service layer.

// products.service.ts (simplified NestJS service)
import { Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
import { Repository } from 'typeorm';
import { InjectRepository } from '@nestjs/typeorm';
import { Product } from './product.entity'; // Your entity

@Injectable()
export class ProductsService {
  constructor(
    @InjectRepository(Product)
    private productsRepository: Repository<Product>,
  ) {}

  async create(productData: Partial<Product>): Promise<Product> {
    const newProduct = this.productsRepository.create(productData);
    return this.productsRepository.save(newProduct);
  }

  async findAll(): Promise<Product[]> {
    return this.productsRepository.find();
  }

  async findOne(id: number): Promise<Product | undefined> {
    return this.productsRepository.findOneBy({ id });
  }

  async update(id: number, productData: Partial<Product>): Promise<Product | undefined> {
    await this.productsRepository.update(id, productData);
    return this.findOne(id); 
  }

  async remove(id: number): Promise<void> {
    await this.productsRepository.delete(id);
  }
}

Robust CRUD: Best Practices

Building robust CRUD operations involves more than just calling repository methods:

  • Data Validation: Use Data Transfer Objects (DTOs) and validation pipes to ensure incoming data is valid (covered in A2 L2).
  • Error Handling: Gracefully handle cases like 'entity not found' by throwing appropriate exceptions (e.g., NestJS's NotFoundException).
  • Transactions: For complex operations involving multiple database changes, use transactions (covered in C1 L2) to ensure data consistency.

CRUD Operation Quiz

Which TypeORM repository method is typically used to update only specific fields of an entity without loading the entire entity into memory first?

Recap: Mastering CRUD

Great job! You've learned the essentials of performing CRUD operations using TypeORM repositories.

  • Create: Use .save() to add new entities.
  • Read: Use .find(), .findOneBy() to retrieve entities.
  • Update: Modify and .save(), or use .update() for partial updates.
  • Delete: Use .delete() or .remove() to eliminate entities.

These skills are fundamental for building any data-driven API with NestJS and TypeORM. Next, we'll explore error handling and interceptors to make your APIs more robust!

Frequently asked questions

Is the “CRUD Operations with TypeORM” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “CRUD Operations with TypeORM” is free to read here on the web, and the NestJS Enterprise Backend APIs course includes 3 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the NestJS Enterprise Backend APIs course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “CRUD Operations with TypeORM”?

Develop complete Create, Read, Update, and Delete functionalities for your entities using TypeORM repositories. You practise NestJS Enterprise Backend APIs with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start NestJS Enterprise Backend APIs?

No prior experience is required. NestJS Enterprise Backend APIs on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 2 of 3, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “CRUD Operations with TypeORM” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this NestJS Enterprise Backend APIs lesson?

Yes. Every NestJS Enterprise Backend APIs lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

All lessons in this course

  1. Routes and Request Handling
  2. CRUD Operations with TypeORM
  3. Error Handling and Interceptors
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